Page 4 of The Road to Cavan Town
“I don’t wish to press ya, but is there an answer to my question?”
A flattering swash of color touched her cheeks. “Of course there’ll be an answer, I’m only uncertain what answer to give.”
“Might I suggest ‘yes’?”
She swatted at his arm. “You sweet man. ’Tis not a matter of yes or no.”
“It isn’t?” Isaac didn’t think there was a third option.
“This is only unexpected, is all.”
Unexpected?What did she think he’d intended with his four months of pursuit if not an eventual proposal? The sensible assumption was that he meant just this, to further their connection.
She gave him such a heart-tuggingly uncertain look. “Can my answer be ‘perhaps’?”
Perhaps. A third option, after all.“‘Perhaps,’ but not ‘no’?” he clarified.
Miss Kilchrest looked quite pleased with that. “Yes, exactly.”
Not no.He could accept that. For the time being.
And, he thought with some burgeoning hope, Alice would help him think of ways to win Miss Kilchrest over for good. Alice would help, and he’d have Miss Kilchrest’s hand for sure and certain.
Chapter Three
Alice generally looked forward to her Sunday afternoon walk toward Killeshandra. For those few hours she had sole claim on Isaac Dancy's time and attention. For that brief time each week she could imagine he fancied her, that he thought her more than merely a friend. Walking the road as they wound about the lakes felt like coming home.
But, standing with her childhood friend, Billy Kettle, waiting for Isaac to arrive, Alice couldn't summon enough enthusiasm to even smile. Her favorite time in the entire week and she was dreading it.
"Why do ya have to go, Alice? Can't ya stay here? We could have fun." Billy asked the same question and made the same arguments every week. He generally did so in the first moments after she left her grandparents' home and long before she left the street where both their families lived. He'd been more overset than usual that day and had followed her all the way to Farnham Street. "No one will feed the ducks with me."
She patted his hand. When they were both little she would pat his shoulder, but he'd grown far too tall. "The ducks have all flown away now. They'll not be back until spring."
"Ducksgo away.Yougo away." His forehead creased deeply as he pouted. Though he had the look and build of a grown man, little else about him had changed over the years. "I don't like all the going away."
He kicked a pebble with the toe of his boot, his hands shoved into his trouser pockets. Poor lad. ’Twas the same difficulty, the same sadness every week. The only thing that changed was how easily he could be reassured.
She looked up into his handsome face and almost painfully innocent eyes. "I'll be back on Saturday as usual. We'll have grand fun then, we will."
"How far away is Saturday?"
"But six days. Not even a whole week. And yer Da says he's found a bit of work for ya to do." She smiled encouragingly. "Ye'll be quite busy, and I'll be back before ya even have time to miss me."
His mouth twisted about, brow still furrowed. "I can miss ya fast."
He'd always been so sweetly loving, like a dear younger brother.
Billy's worried pout transformed instantly to a laughing grin. "Here comes yer beau."
He'd teased her about Isaac from the very first time he saw her arrive in Cavan with him. Billy gave her a quick hug, laughing like a child who'd heard a particularly entertaining tale. She couldn't help smiling at his antics. He rushed away, throwing grins back at her as he did.
She yet had a smile on her face when Isaac arrived at her side. Thank the heavens for Billy. She'd not have been able to greet Isaac with anything resembling cheerfulness without him.
"Who was that?" Isaac motioned with a small twitch of his head in the direction Billy had gone.
Had he never met Billy? Alice couldn’t remember introducing the two. “He’s Billy, m’ dear friend.”
“Yerdearfriend is he?” Isaac’s mouth pulled down, his eyes narrowed, still not looking at her.
